LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's soccer team saw their four-match winning streak come to an end on Tuesday night, following a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Warner University Royals. The Gyrenes fell to 4-4 in conference play with just one match remaining before The Sun Conference Tournament kicks off next weekend.

Warner got on the board first on their home field, scoring in the 15th minute. A free kick from Emma Marshall was placed into the goal by Maddie Manzke for her fourth goal of the season. Manzke's goal was the only for either side in the first 45 minutes, sending the Royals into the second half with a one goal lead.

What proved to be the game-winning goal came for the Royals, again off the foot of Manzke. On an assist from Kristin Campbell in the 50th minute, Manzke beat the Gyrene defense and added her fifth goal of the season to extend Warner's lead to 2-0. That two-goal lead would last for just over 12 minutes, before Ave Maria made it interesting in the 62nd minute.

A scramble following an Ave Maria corner kick eventually found the foot of sophomore Haley Iacona, who placed a looping shot over the head of the goalkeeper for her first goal of the 2020 season. The sophomore's goal got AMU back into the match, but the Gyrenes could not find an equalizer despite several strong chances in the closing moments of the match.

The Royals outshot the Gyrenes 10-5 on Tuesday night, although Warner's edge in shots on goal was just 4-3. Ave Maria did hold an advantage in corner kick opportunities, as the Gyrenes had five chances from the corner to just one for the Royals. 

In addition to Iacona's goal, the Gyrenes attempted four more shots, with two of those attempts going on goal. AMU's other shots on goal were provided by freshmen Gabby Decker and Brenda Tubb, while two more shots were logged from Emily Dalton and Celena Liguori. Goalkeeper Maddie Samuelson, the reigning Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Week, made two saves in net for the Gyrenes.

The final game of the regular season for the Gyrenes comes Saturday evening against the defending national champions, the Keiser University Seahawks. With a win, the Gyrenes would clinch the number three seed in The Sun Conference Tournament, and the home game that comes with it. Ave Maria could also earn a home match in the tournament depending on other results around the conference. Kickoff at Gyrene Field is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.